Practice Makes Perfect
by MrsWheezy
Summary: When it comes to making the biggest decision of his life, Ron can only think of one individual to turn to for advice...


_A/N: This is my first published story and something I wanted to write for a long time. Hope you enjoy it and if you do, make sure to leave a review, because I would love to know your thoughts on how it was and perhaps I will write more in the future. Thank you!_

* * *

"Maybe I could just- no. How abou- no, no, that's too-"

Harry groaned and rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time as he stared at Ron, who was pacing around his desk area muttering tensely under his breath. He kept shaking his head every now and then, as if disapproving of what he was thinking.

"Will you shut it?" Harry asked, clearly annoyed. He held his quill in his right hand and tried to concentrate on the evidence he had to analyse for their latest case.

Ron gave no sign of acknowledging his presence and continued muttering furiously. He kept running his big-knuckled hands, grazed with several bruises - which Harry at once recognized as a recurrent result of their missions as Aurors - through his bright, ginger hair and they kept falling back in a more disheveled state than before. A huge pile of papers sat on his desk unavailingly, amongst several other unattended documents.

The sight tempted Harry to delay his own work.

"Ron, wha-" Harry tried to figure out what had happened to Ron in the last couple of weeks that was bothering him to this extent and then it hit him. "Wait… Is this about you walking in on me and Ginny snoggi-"

Apparently this was enough to snap Ron out of his trance because in the next moment he stopped in his tracks, turned back at Harry, and scowled.

"No it isn't."

"Oh, I thought you might have a probl-"

"I do."

"Well, you shouldn't have one then." Harry chided indignantly. "We've been together for like three years now and trust me we've done more than jus-"

"I don't mind!" Ron cut in hurriedly, as if the thought of Harry and Ginny going further than what he had unwillingly witnessed previously was deeply disturbing and unbearable to hear. "I jus- just not in front of me? Please?"

Harry snorted and held back a retort of it being so amusing that Ron had no problem with displaying affection shamelessly when it came to him and Hermione. Despite all of this, Harry knew how uncomfortable it was to witness it all first hand so instead, Harry settled for something subtler.

"Now you know how I've felt all my life."

For a few moments he was only met by silence, except for the infrequent screeching of cars halting and honking on the streets outside. Then, Ron walked over and plopped down on his chair miserably, which offered a vexatious squeak in retaliation.

Seeing Ron this dejected bothered Harry a lot and whatever it was that was causing his best friend distress, he wanted to get rid of it. So along with his quill, he also dropped all pretenses of actually doing his work and turned his full attention towards Ron.

"Ron, what is it?" He pestered.

Ron ran his hands through his hair again, but this time he didn't take them out and then suddenly, he slammed his head facedown on his desk and groaned in frustration. The papers that had sat unavailingly before fluttered slightly because of the force.

Harry simply stared at him as if he had gone completely mental.

"I dun effin' nuv why um doing thiv…" Ron muttered. His voice was muffled against the wooden desk.

For the second time that day, Harry found himself cogitating all the possible events that could cause Ron to be in such a state, apart from the prospect of having his best friend shagging his youngest sibling.

"Did you have a fight with Hermione?" Harry guessed, who was not going to let the matter drop without an explanation, for he had always been the curious kind. "Okay I'll set up a bed in the guest room for you. I'm sure Ginny won't-"

"No."

"Ginny won't mind, you know that. Well, unless you lose her broomstick agai- come to think of it, how _did_ you lose it?"

"No, you prat! I mean no, we didn't have a fight." He had raised his head by now and wore a really offended expression. "And that's not all we do you know!"

"Yeah… I know," Harry cringed reminiscently. He had no desire to know what his best friends did when they weren't fighting, especially now that they were a couple, because even though he didn't like to admit it he was pretty sure it was what he and Ginny did all the time. Eager to keep avoid the topic he prompted, "So what is it then?"

Ron licked his lips nervously before he stuttered, "I-I think- I'm going to- no."

Harry felt his temper rising and he didn't know how long it would be before he completely lost it. He stood up abruptly, his chair sweeping backwards a bit and hovered over Ron.

"Spit it out!"

"I don't think it's a good idea-"

"Ron just say it already, for Merlin's sake! If you don't tell me right now-"

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"-then I swear I'll- wait, WHAT?"

"I'm going to propose."

Harry froze and suddenly all the cars outside seemed to have too because now there was complete silence.

He was speechless. And stunned. So stunned, that he stumbled a few steps back and collided with his chair as if he had been cursed. He sat back down involuntarily, his eyes wide in surprise as he gaped at Ron.

"To who?" He managed to mutter blankly, after a while. Even though he knew the answer, he wasn't sure whether Ron realised what he had just blurted.

"To you." Ron deadpanned. "Who the bloody hell do you think? Hermione of course!"

"Oh."

It would be an understatement to say that Harry was surprised.

Whatever he had expected Ron's earlier peculiar behavior to be about, it was nowhere near this. This was jus- What? Proposing? The more he thought about it, the more the idea seemed unreal.

Ron. His best mate. Ginger, tall and smothered in freckles. Proposing to Hermione. His best friend. Clever, obsessed with books and face concealed almost all the time because of her brown, bushy and unruly hair.

He blinked.

As if thrown into a Pensieve, Harry recalled all the time he had spent with the both of them. The time he met them in the Hogwarts Express. The time that he had become best friends with the boy with dirt on his nose, and the time that the girl with the books had discourteously pointed that out for him. The time that he had been infuriated with the two of them for hiding their feelings from each other for so long.

And now they were getting married.

Somewhere, in the midst of all of this, Harry was expecting this. He knew it would happen. It had to. Ron and Hermione, as cheesy as it sounds, were meant to be. Just like him and Ginny. What they had been through, only they would know. Only they would now how it feels to be stuck, unaware of what the outcomes would be. Scars that they had obtained contained stories of the choices they had made. Some defined their bravery whilst others their vulnerabilities. They had learnt over time, though, that what counted was how the bravery always triumphed over the vulnerability. Hard as it is, you learn to accept the difficult option, the one with sacrifices. With the sacrifices they had made, the suffering they had been through, they deserved this…

The happiness.

Harry's expressions apparently didn't match his thoughts because Ron mistook his silence for his disapproval.

"Oh…" He groaned despairingly. "I knew it! I knew you'd think I'm stupid enough to even think that she would want to spend her entire life with a useless git like me."

"No!"

"I don't blame you, though." He continued, his eyes clearly averting Harry's gaze dismally and his voice dropping to his usual self-deprecating tone, "I don't even deser-"

"RON!" Harry exclaimed his voice rising dangerously, forcing Ron to meet his eyes. Harry's more stern and demanding than Ron's. "Just listen to me! Alright?" He wanted nothing more than to get this right. He felt so chuffed at the moment and he wanted Ron to be aware of that.

"You may be a git," Harry started and Ron rolled his eyes, "but you're not useless and I am really _really_ happy for you, mate." Harry said earnestly. "For both of you."

"You are?"

"Of course! Ron- God knows how long I've been waiting for this and I am so happy. Really."

Ron looked much relaxed than before, but his shoulders were still slumped as if he was still having doubts.

"But- what if she says no?" Ron asked after a while, finally confiding to Harry.

"Are you kidding me?" He chuckled incredulously. "This is Hermione we're talking about. She loves you! A lot! Everything about you… including your freckly arse."

Harry guessed he was doing the right thing because Ron's slumped shoulders were now upright and his flushed face broke into a reluctant grin.

"You know that too," Harry continued feeling quite confident now, "you just don't believe it." He couldn't understand how Ron could still doubt the fact that Hermione loved him more than anyone and anything.

Including books. Now that was saying something.

"I know that now, I do. She's been with me whenever I needed her. After Fre-" He closed his eyes and bit his lip. After a while he exhaled a long, shaky breath, then continued, "She's the one who helped me get through it. Still does. I love her. So much. You know?"

Harry nodded as Ron's voice shook with emotion. He did know. What he didn't know though, was when Ron's emotional range had expanded from a tiny teaspoon to several tablespoons.

"So, I want to do that for her too." Ron continued unsurely, "I just don't know if I can."

"Of course you can! You're already doing it. You do it all the time, Ron. It doesn't take a brain like Hermione's to figure out how much you care for her."

Harry was very much aware of Ron's insecurities. He had witnessed them himself and he couldn't ever forget how vile and sickening they were. Since then Ron had tried his best to fight against the notion that he was worthless, but Harry knew that it wasn't easy to completely wipe them away. But if it would take Harry the rest of his life to keep reminding him of the fact that he wasn't useless, then he didn't care. He would do exactly that.

However, at the moment it looked as if Ron didn't need any reminding because he looked up and Harry could make out the corner of his twitching slightly.

"So, you think I should-"

"Yes. You should propose."

Ron's smirk turned into a foolish grin, but as soon as it had appeared, it faded.

"One small problem-" Said Ron, looking worried, but not the kind he was before.

"What happened?"

"How do I- I mean- How do I propose, though?"

Harry stared at him.

"I mean- I haven't done this before-" Ron explained.

"Well I hope so."

"No- I mean- I want to make this special. Maybe do it the Muggle way? I need your help."

Harry gulped. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Ron; it was just that he didn't know what Ron needed help with. He didn't know how proposals worked. It's not as if he had experience himself. It felt like such a huge responsibility and if something went wrong, then he knew he'd never hear the end of it from Ron.

"Umm-" Stuttered Harry nervously, "I don't know- Go down on one knee? Pull the ring out?"

Ron looked at him skeptically. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I guess." Harry shrugged.

"But-but- but that's what wizards do!" Spluttered Ron, "Isn't it supposed to be different for Muggles?"

"Well, clearly not."

"Oh."

Silence.

Then after a long pause,

"Can I practise?"

"WHAT?" Harry yelled.

"Can I practise before I do the actual thing?"

"Wi- with who?"

"You."

Harry waited for the part where Ron would say someone else's name afterwards to make it seem like he only said _his_ name for the exaggeration of the joke.

It never came.

"Ron, but- you're not proposing until much later! Right..?" Harry added, unsurely.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't be prepared!" He exclaimed and then when Harry still looked doubtful, he put on his best puppy face, the one he had mastered over the years and that reminded Harry of the countless times where he himself had to use the same approach on Ginny. "Pleeeease?" He pleaded.

"That face might work on Hermione mate, but not me." He said amusedly.

Ron let out a deep, frustrated sigh. "Fine." His face and tone of voice contradicted his point, "I just thou- OK leave it. You don't have to do it. You don't have to help your best friend…" Ron finished, looking more hurt than he actually was.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" Whined Harry, who knew – after nine years of experience – that this was the part where the objector (in this case; Harry) were forced on a trip to guilty-land where they received nothing but emotional blackmail, until the point the objector involuntary agreed.

Ron responded to his whining by completely turning his chair away from him.

" _Seriously?_ " Harry said raising an eyebrow, "What are you, five?"

"Well, I wish I was." He grumbled. "At least then you would've took pity on me!" He said, voice rising accusingly towards the end.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"What?" Ron asked, glancing over his shoulder, completely abandoning his resentful demeanor.

"I'll do your- stupid- whatever…"

Ron turned around fully now so that he was facing Harry.

"Really?"

Harry sighed, defeated. "Yes."

Ron stared at him, reading his expressions to judge whether or not Harry was lying. Whatever he saw there must've convinced him he wasn't, because he then let out a loud whoop and punched the air simultaneously.

Harry shook his head, and muttered, "The things I do for you…"

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed although he was grinning widely. "This could help you too, you know. When you need to-"

"Yeah, yeah..." Harry dismissed amusedly, clearly understanding Ron's attempt to prove that his absurd idea had some sort of benefit for him too.

Ron had stopped grinning, however, his expression turning serious and Harry wondered briefly whether he had started acting already and felt as if he needed to be equipped too. But before he could be prepared, Ron turned to face towards him.

"You- er-" He cleared his throat. "You are planning to- to marry Ginny, aren't you?" Ron stuttered nervously, trying to sound casual but failing as he threw a furtive glance towards Harry.

Harry tensed.

Was he? Well, he wasn't exactly planning yet, but yes he had thought about it. He didn't want to rush into anything too soon, but he also didn't want to be so late that their wedding would become insignificant.

Now that he thought about it, he became more nervous. What if she said no? What if the time Harry thinks it's right for them to get married wasn't the right time for her? Suddenly, he became extremely empathetic towards Ron's current situation and made a silent promise to agree to do whatever it would take to calm Ron's nerves down.

However, even now when Ron had asked him whether he was planning on marrying soon or not, Harry knew for sure that there was only a certain woman with flaming red hair and bright brown eyes that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Of course I want to marry her, I love her." Harry confessed sincerely, and he could've sworn he saw Ron let out a sigh of relief from the corner of his eyes. "I mean- if she would want to of course."

Ron scoffed. "Why wouldn't she?" Harry thought this conversation sounded oddly familiar. "She's been practically waiting for this since she was ten- OW! What did you punch me for?" Ron rubbed his arm, looking hurt.

"You deserved it."

"You're starting to sound a lot like Ginny, you know…"

Harry smirked.

"OK let's get on with it then!" Ron prodded after a while.

Harry was confused for a moment before he realised what he agreed doing in the first place.

"Oh- yeah, okay."

He straightened his back and attempted a decent position on his chair. What now? He had no idea what to do next, so he left it to Ron.

Ron stood up, took a deep breath and let it out but as soon as his eyes landed on Harry, he frowned slightly. "Something doesn't seem right…"

"What? Should I get a book to hold?"

"Tosser."

"What is it?"

"I don't know. It feels-"

"Weird? Of course it will. I'm not Hermione."

"Yeah..." Ron agreed, then shrugged, "Anyway, let's get this over with."

"That would be nice."

To his amazement, Ron instantly bent down on one of his knees and cleared his throat nervously. He then looked up at Harry with such an earnest expression on his face that Harry had to hold back a snigger that threatened to escape. For a moment he imagined how they would explain themselves if someone had walked in and saw them. Ron bent down on one knee in front of his best mate who sat awkwardly on his chair, wanting nothing more than to escape this uncomfortable scenario.

"Har- Hermione," He began, "I love you. Marry me."

He gaped back at him and waited for him to continue but when Ron gulped and glanced up at him expectantly Harry asked,

"Is that it?"

"Yeah." He stated as if his proposal was anything but blunt.

"Well, if that was what you were planning to say to her before, then I'm glad we're having this practice."

"What do you mean? Was that bad?"

"Terrible."

Ron frowned miserably and Harry felt slightly guilty for deflating his hopes.

"Look," Harry said, becoming extremely knowledgeable somehow, "When you propose, you can't exactly order the person to marry you."

"I never ordere-"

"Well 'marry me' isn't exactly asking is it?"

Ron opened his mouth in defense then closed it when he had nothing better to say.

"Maybe you can try and hold her hand, talk about your feelings for a bit and then you know, _ask_ her marry you?" Harry offered, choosing his words carefully.

Ron nodded thoughtfully, and then narrowed his eyes accusingly. "How do you know so much?"

"I don't!" Harry rushed defensively; "I swear I would ne-" He broke off when he saw Ron smirking.

"Prat."

In the next couple of minutes Harry had switched positions with Ron and had suggested various ways for him to propose, majority of which, Ron had instantly disapproved of.

"Okay, okay," Harry sighed, getting tired and planning to put an ultimate end to all this. "You bend down on one knee," he did so, "Then you just-" he met Ron's eyes and cringed as he took hold of his large hand and covered it with his. Ron looked like he wanted nothing more than to escape the room. "Hold her hand and just look into her eyes lovingly," Harry attempted to do so before making a face and discarding the idea completely, "-or whatever."

"No!" Ron complained and as he abruptly moved to get up, he bumped his knee harshly against Harry's face, losing his balance as he tripped over his legs, landing right on top of Harry with the chair behind him toppling over Ron's back.

"Fuck!" Harry cried out from beneath Ron, his hands searching wildly for his glasses.

"Shit! Sorry, mate." Ron apologised, rubbing his back and cursing under his breath as he tried to balance all his weight on his arms whilst simultaneously struggling to shove the chair back onto it's original position.

"Hurry up, you're so heavy," Harry groaned and gasped for air. "I - can't – breathe!"

"I'm trying! This… bloody… chair-"

"Hey-"

Their heads whipped around to see the source of the sound and they saw Hermione standing near the doorway.

A hand clamped over her mouth. Eyes widened in shocked amusement.

" _What_ is going on here?"


End file.
